Reina María Rodríguez

Cuban poet born in the city of La Habana.

Born in La Habana. Graduate in Hispanic American Literature from Universidad de La Habana, she is, without a doubt, one of the most important figures in contemporary Cuban poetry.

She has published in numerous anthologies and journals in Latin America, North America and Europe: Crítica, Mexico; Diario de poesía, Argentina; Mandarla, Hopscotch, Zazil, Boundary 2, USA; Artefacto, Nicaragua; Coyote, Brazil; Entwürf, Germany; Cuadernos Hispanoamericanos, Acción Poética, France; La Habana Elegante, among others. She has been translated into several languages: English, French, Russian, Vietnamese, Arabic, German, Portuguese, Italian.

She has given lectures and readings at the universities of: Humboldt and Freie Universität Berlin, in Germany. At universities in the USA: Princeton, New Jersey; Emory, Atlanta; Georgetown, Washington; SUNY, Buffalo, Iowa, Hofstra of New York. In Río Piedra, Puerto Rico; at the Ateneo de Caracas, at the Monterrey Book Fair in Mexico; at the Santo Domingo Book Fair; at the Vienna school of poetry; at the Pompidou, Paris (1987) and (1998). She participated in the Val-de-Marne poetry biennial, Paris (1994). She directs the cultural project Casa de Letras in La Habana and is editor of the magazine Azoteas.

Active Bibliography
La gente de mi barrio, poetry. Prize from Universidad de La Habana in its "13 de Marzo" contest, 1976.
Cuando una mujer no duerme, poetry. Prize from UNEAC, Julián del Casal, 1980.
Para un cordero blanco, poetry. Casa de las Américas Prize 1984.
En la arena de Padua, poetry. Prize from the Mexican journal Plural in 1991 and Cuban Critics' Prize, 1992.
Páramos, poetry. Julián del Casal Prize, 1993 and Cuban Critics' Prize 1995.
Travelling, short stories, Letras Cubanas publishing, 1995.
Poemas, Plaquettes from Café Central de Barcelona, 1995.
Tiempo de temblar bajo los árboles, Buenos Aires, 2003.
La foto del invernadero, poetry. Casa de las Américas Prize 1998. Cuban Critics' Prize 2000.
Te daré de comer como a los pájaros, prose, Letras Cubanas 2000. Cuban Critics' Prize 2001.
Otras cartas a Milena, prose, Contemporáneos, Editorial Unión 2004.
Como un extraño pájaro que viene del sur, personal anthology. Translated into French by Henri Deluy, Fourbit publishing, Paris, France.
Ellas escriben cartas de amor, personal anthology. Contemporáneos, Unión 1999.
Una muchacha loca como los pájaros, personal anthology. Cooyoacán Editions, Mexico, 2003.
En el oscuro...de los andenes, personal anthology. Translated into German by Tobías Burghart, Aman publishing, in process with Aman editors.
Violet Island y otros poemas, personal anthology, translated into English by Kristin Dystrak, Green Integer publishing, USA 2004.
Cuba on the verge, with introduction by William Kennedy and epilogue by Arthur Miller. Text The fair in te park with photos by Syvia Plachy.
La detención del tiempo, poetry, Plaquette, USA.
La detención del tiempo, poetry, second edition, with photos and two essays, bilingual, Factory School publishing, 2006, USA.
Al menos, así lo veía a contraluz, Cuban poetry notebooks, Milhojas collection, Madrid, 1998.
Tres maneras de matar un elefante, novel, Italo Calvino Prize 2004.
Catch and release, poetry, Letras Cubanas publishing, 2006.
Bosque negro poetry, Extramuros publishing, February 2005.
El libro de las clientas, poetry, Letras Cubanas publishing, 2005.
Variedades de Galiano, prose and photos (in the process of publication at Entremares publishing, Veracruz, Mexico and Letras Cubanas 2007).
Poemas de Navidad, poetry, unpublished.
Apuntes de un poeta cubano, talks about Cuban poetry, unpublished.
Una casa de Ánimas, poetry, unpublished.
María Mariosh, poetry, unpublished.
Las fotos de la señora Loss, poetry, unpublished.
Todo es humo, novel, unpublished.
Anímula blandula vagula, memoirs, unpublished.

Awards and Honors
Distinction for National Culture, 1988.
Order of Arts and Letters of France, with the rank of Knight, 1999.
Alejo Carpentier Medal, 2002.
National Prize for Literature 2013.